It may not have been Cillian O’Connor’s best day at the office in a Mayo jersey, but his day could have been a lot worse had Joe McQuillan provided him with the red card that many felt he deserved in the 49th minute of the game.
It wasn’t a classic game of football in Croke Park between the two Connacht kingpins, but what Mayo and Roscommon did provide us with, was unbridled excitement from the first minute to the last as they slugged it out, blow for blow.
Roscommon began like a steam train, with two quickfire goals, one of which was out of this world from Fintan Cregg, but a Lee Keegan inspired Mayo fought back to go into the half time break with a two point cushion.
The tit-for-tat pattern continued in the second half, and eventually the fairest result, in a draw, was served up and the sides will go at it again in a replay.
One man who will be lucky to line out for Mayo in this replay is Cillian O’Connor, after his high, reckless and dangerous challenge on Roscommon centre back Sean Mullooly.
Mullooly was given a hospital pass by his teammate, which invited the Ballintubber sharpshooter towards the ball and the man.
O’Connor may have thought the ball was there to be won, but as Mullooly won the ball, and crouched down to change the direction of the play, O’Connor bulldozed into his head with a fierce shoulder.
O’Connor was running with momentum, and he was ready to deliver a big hit.
That he did.
Mullooly was visibly shaken after – a head injury could easily have been sustained.
The Mayo man was high, he was reckless, and he was the luckiest man in Croke Park to escape with just a yellow card.
Ger Canning was shocked that the referee even blew for a foul.
“Good shoulder to shoulder I thought, but the referee has blown his whistle, and the Mayo fans didn’t like it one little bit.
Co-commentator Kevin Cassidy thought the decision was harsh too.
“I thought that was harsh Ger, I thought that was a fair hit… Physicality is a very big part of the game, the hit was there to be made.”
Are we missing something?
My initial reaction was that's a red card for Cillian O'Connor. Replay didn't change my mind
— Shane Stapleton (@ShaneSaint) July 30, 2017
couldn't agree more, and the lads on TV wondering why it was a card.
— Jackie Cahill 🖐👍 (@cahilljackie) July 30, 2017
https://twitter.com/maclaithimh/status/891693461375782912
